Although heat is the number one ranked weather-related fatality across the U.S., flooding is a close second. Whether it’s from coastal, riverine or sheetflow flooding, many communities across the country are susceptible to flooding, but the lack of understanding regarding this hazard and the associated risk continues to be a big problem. As a result, the National Weather Service (NWS) has taken a new approach to spread flood awareness and it’s called FloodAware.
FloodAware is an NWS training seminar, similar to the NWS SkyWarn, but is focused solely on flooding. The training starts with the basics of flooding, such as types of flooding and causes of flooding; but then dives deeper into the primary flood threat for the specific area. For example, we cover river flooding for areas near mainstem rivers and tributaries; however, in coastal counties, we focus on flooding from surge and high tides. Ultimately, these trainings vary from location to location but highlight the primary flood hazards in each region.
FloodAware doesn’t stop there. Depending on the location, local hydrologic partners are invited to participate as well. These partners include river authorities, USACE, flood control districts, and floodplain managers. Hydrologic partners take this opportunity to discuss their roles and responsibilities, in particular during flood events, as well as their operations as they pertain to the general public. This allows for hydrologic partners to interact with the public and provide the public with a greater understanding of the complexity behind flooding.
Lastly, the seminar wraps up with a session on flood safety and preparedness tips. Ultimately, many partners and communities have deemed FloodAware a critical resource for the public to learn more about the various flood hazards, resources available, and tips for flood safety and preparedness. Each FloodAware lasts approximately 2 hours with the first half devoted to the NWS and the second to hydrologic partners; however, this RU-vid series is broken down into smaller videos to allow for more user-paced training. This is the third video in the training series.
7 май 2023
